Local Pond Changing?

[Joedodge]

So I have a small pond I fish has a lot of 8 inch to 1.5 pound bass. Me and my son fish it. When they stocked it a couple years ago they adds lie gill but they are now of good size. This pond the bass used to hit anything that ya threw in. Now thy may follow or grab and spit out a senko or craw bait. They just don't hit like they used to at all. It's also gotten really mossy and scummy and they lay under the scum. Only small open water areas can be fished. Could the bite have changed because of the thick moss/scum cover and the fact that the blue gill forage is of good size?

[lectricbassman]

Fishing pressure?

[Joedodge]

That's the thing it's a local community center pond that no one fishes it can't be seen from the rd and looks so scummy why would ya fish it. It's on our local state stocking list, but no signs are posted. It was a really fun lil gem to go fish. No huge fish but a easy fish tank type pond. Idk why all of a sudden it just turned off

[Penguino]

Lol I have a pond exactly like this. Last year, everytime I went out I could catch at least 3 dinks and a decent bass. Now I cant catch anything. I have fished everything, but have noticed the weed growth has progressively gotten worse and worse. Before, you could see little bluegill and small bass on the top of the water column. Now, you cant see anything except for tiny 1 inch minnows. I believe I have found the culprit for the ponds degradation. The pond I am talking about is in a residential area, and the area it is in has much pollution. Im willing to bet that people's lawns have contributed big time to the algae growth. The fertilizers in the lawns run off into the water, and the big fish die, as all the oxygen is used up by the algae. In the end, the only fish living are usually bluegill and minnows. This is why I don't really fish anymore of these ponds in open areas. People always pollute them, and in turn, all the decent fish die.  

[deep]

Here's what I know. The environment (and the bass) change fast, and we fishermen are often the last to adapt. If they're under the scum as you say; well, go after them instead of fishing the little open water there is.

[Joedodge]

Me and my son made a good run at that today. But man it's so nasty the second ya flip through it ya got 8 pounds of it rapped up in your hook and baits. Have to clean it all off every cast. Interesting about us being the last to adapt very true

[Insanity]

Lol I have a pond exactly like this. Last year, everytime I went out I could catch at least 3 dinks and a decent bass. Now I cant catch anything. I have fished everything, but have noticed the weed growth has progressively gotten worse and worse. Before, you could see little bluegill and small bass on the top of the water column. Now, you cant see anything except for tiny 1 inch minnows. I believe I have found the culprit for the ponds degradation. The pond I am talking about is in a residential area, and the area it is in has much pollution. Im willing to bet that people's lawns have contributed big time to the algae growth. The fertilizers in the lawns run off into the water, and the big fish die, as all the oxygen is used up by the algae. In the end, the only fish living are usually bluegill and minnows. This is why I don't really fish anymore of these ponds in open areas. People always pollute them, and in turn, all the decent fish die.

Not trying be a smart butt or anything but.

The run off from the fertilizer carries ammonia ( among other things ) which feeds the green algae (like it does crops and grass) as does the fish waste and the previous years dead algae which is why it just keeps getting worse once it starts. The algae actually puts off oxygen as a biproduct. Which is good for the fish. As does hydrilla and other aquatic veg. Now the fertilizer is bad in another way but I can't recall. I'm thinking something in it took the oxygen out of the water. That's where you got that il bet.

Summer temps get the big fish in small ponds some times as the water temp gets to high the water doesn't carry enough oxygen to sustain the larger fish. The green slime loves the high temps. And the dead fish.

Its normal for some reason when they first stock a pond the fish are crazy aggressive the first year. After that they calm down and get more finicky.

That slime sucks doesn't it. They drained a pond I fish at two years ago. When they refilled it. The little bit of natural moss the pond had came back to life. ( you can't kill the stuff lol) and all the dead aquatic life fueled it into a full blown take over of the pond. Some of the dead aquatic life would have been the snails which eat the green algae and help keep it in check. If we could get a dump truck load of perry winkle snails our problems would be over. Of corse then you'd have to stock some shell crackers to eat them after they did the job or they would starve to death after they eat it all and start the cycle over. Lol

I'm lucky in the fact that it's a deep pond and the stuff can't get enough light except around the edges. Still blooms and floats somtimes though. Hopefully it will balance back out in a few years.

As for the fish they have been hard to catch after the first year. You'd swear there are no big ones there. But today I caught them during a thunder storm. And slayed them on lizards and frogs. Caught about 12 and only two where under two pounds had one six and one seven pounder. Been wanting to take some recent pics of the fish I catch but as luck would have it. My water proof phone got wet inside and the camera only worked on the first four pounder and then died.

[Catch 22]

I built and owned a two acre pond yrs ago.I can tell you with certainty that fish become acclimated to  lures and line.I used to feed the bass minnows. They would gobble them up,until I put a small   bare hook w/minnow  with line on it. No dice.

 

Bluegills ==ehh not that smart

[Joedodge]

Thanks so much for all the great info everyone

[Dogmatic]

Not trying be a smart butt or anything but.

The run off from the fertilizer carries ammonia ( among other things ) which feeds the green algae (like it does crops and grass) as does the fish waste and the previous years dead algae which is why it just keeps getting worse once it starts. The algae actually puts off oxygen as a biproduct. Which is good for the fish. As does hydrilla and other aquatic veg. Now the fertilizer is bad in another way but I can't recall. I'm thinking something in it took the oxygen out of the water. That's where you got that il bet.

Summer temps get the big fish in small ponds some times as the water temp gets to high the water doesn't carry enough oxygen to sustain the larger fish. The green slime loves the high temps. And the dead fish.

Its normal for some reason when they first stock a pond the fish are crazy aggressive the first year. After that they calm down and get more finicky.

That slime sucks doesn't it. They drained a pond I fish at two years ago. When they refilled it. The little bit of natural moss the pond had came back to life. ( you can't kill the stuff lol) and all the dead aquatic life fueled it into a full blown take over of the pond. Some of the dead aquatic life would have been the snails which eat the green algae and help keep it in check. If we could get a dump truck load of perry winkle snails our problems would be over. Of corse then you'd have to stock some shell crackers to eat them after they did the job or they would starve to death after they eat it all and start the cycle over. Lol

I'm lucky in the fact that it's a deep pond and the stuff can't get enough light except around the edges. Still blooms and floats somtimes though. Hopefully it will balance back out in a few years.

As for the fish they have been hard to catch after the first year. You'd swear there are no big ones there. But today I caught them during a thunder storm. And slayed them on lizards and frogs. Caught about 12 and only two where under two pounds had one six and one seven pounder. Been wanting to take some recent pics of the fish I catch but as luck would have it. My water proof phone got wet inside and the camera only worked on the first four pounder and then died.

Not trying to be a smart a** here, but excessive algae(phytoplankton) in ponds leads to oxygen depletion and fish kill. Aquatic plants only produce oxygen during the day. At night, or cloudy days, they consume O2,so when there is an excessive amount, like that which occurs in summer when the water is warm (warm water holds less O2), and an artificially large amount of nutrients(like fertilizer run off from people's lawns), they compete with fish for that ever decreasing amout of oxygen, and usually end up winning. ; )

[bigbill]

The fish learn our baits year after year fishing the same baits. Throw something different.

[greentrout]

In all my years of fishing I have seen ponds come and go. They all have a prime time but diminishing returns begin to set in and the catch rate is not all that great. Happens to big reservoirs, too. Not you. Just nature.

Old school basser...

[Paul Roberts]

Agree with the above: recent stockers being aggressive, fishing pressure having a strong effect. Also water temps could be getting a bit high now (your being in FL and in a small pond with likely little circulation -related to oxygen issue mentioned) so fish could be laying low during daylight hours.

 

Some suggestions:

 

-First, try speed. When water warms bass often need speed to trigger them. You'll know you are getting close when you see the little ones chasing up.

 

-Try at night (addresses fishing pressure, and day time heat issues)

 

-Try crack of dawn (addresses daytime heat (but not oxygen although can identify it), and meets a common activity rhythm in fishes -the "first-light bite")

 

Ponds changing: Darn right they change. It's the norm, not the exception.

[KayakBasser]

     Iknow of a couple of lakes like that.